"I can't have you, but that doesn't stop me from wanting you," Finnick whispered in Renata's ear, his lips grazing her skin. "Out here, they can't keep an eye on us, we're free…"

Renata murmured quietly, nestled quite comfortably in the crook of his arm. Her eyes were focused intently as she listened to him speak, his fingertips so soothing against her face.

"You have to be careful, Rini. They have spies everywhere…they're always watching," He paused for a moment and pressed his lips to her temple. "We have to be careful."

They were indeed being watched. It wasn't hard to notice. Wherever she went, there would always be a Peacekeeper or two around. Before the games, she would have thought nothing of it, but now she knew. Every move she made, every word she spoke was being monitored, and if she messed up, it wouldn't be her in danger.

She hadn't noticed how much of the Capitol was around in the district before, either. Whether it was the crest looming somewhere, or a squad of Peacekeepers, there was a bigger hand in her home district, manipulating things and making sure things stayed the way they were supposed to.

It didn't help that the large screen in the square was always on with news of what was happening in the Capitol. She was walking across the street when she heard her name and she froze. That voice…it couldn't be. She slowly looked up at the screen and the color drained from her cheeks.

Seneca's grin was almost blinding as he sat beside Caesar, the two chatting casually to one another. As Renata looked around her, she saw that several others, mostly women, had stopped to watch the handsome man speak.

"The games were a little disappointing this year, I know they were," he shrugged. "Things went a bit unexpectedly, but I think there were some moments that were worth watching."

"Is it true that you're already making preparations for the 74th Hunger Games, Seneca? Tell me you at least took a small vacation," Caesar remarked with that smile.

He laughed and shook his head. "Oh, there wasn't any vacation planned in the first place. My work is never done. This next year is going to be my best work yet, just wait. I'm very excited for everyone to see it."

The two men waited for the applause to quiet down before they continued.

"So despite the arena being a flop, what do you think of the victor? Renata Kelde," Caesar asked.

Renata swallowed as she waited for Seneca's reply, feeling everyone's eyes on her. She felt sick to her stomach.

"I was very proud of Renata," Seneca nodded, smiling. "She was very resourceful, and she surprised us all, I think. Especially in the finale, that was amazing."

Caesar nodded in agreement, joining in the applause for the young woman. "So now we're just waiting for her to come back and see us for the Tour. Very sweet girl, she is, and I know that I am not the only one who will be eager to welcome her back."

Renata turned away from the screen and began to hurry away, unable to watch any longer. She couldn't escape Seneca's voice fast enough, however.

"We'll see you very soon, Renata."


"Are you going to eat any of this?" Renata laughed, her legs kicking back and forth in the air. She looked up at Finnick, who was busy weaving together a net and sighed when he didn't answer. She rolled over onto her back, closing her eyes at the bright sun that cast down on the boat. The afternoon had dragged on, but that wasn't a bad thing. Running out to Finnick as he was casting off was one of her favorite things to do! Her cheeks stung from her sunburn, but she didn't want to move. Being on the sea was like taking a deep breath and blowing it out; she could be herself without worrying about the repercussions.

The sound of singing reached her ears and she opened her eyes after a moment, turning her head to look at Finnick.

He smiled when he caught her watching him and he winked at her. "Let the waves hold you close, let the moon guide your way…let the stars shine above and never fade," he sang in a soft voice, his hands easily and skillfully stringing the pile of rope in his lap into a net. "And when you come home, crawl into my arms…I'll keep you safe from each and every harm…"

"Where did you learn that song?" Rini asked, rolling onto her side and holding herself up with her elbow.

"Mom would sing it to me when I was little," Finnick answered after a moment, wiping the sweat from his forehead and looking up at her. "Why are you smiling at me like that?"

"Oh, nothing," she grinned and shook her head, lying back down. "Will you sing it again?"

Finnick paused for a moment, looking at Renata as she laid there in front of him. The wind was blowing around her bright hair, and he smiled at the burn on her fair skin. She was beautiful, and he found himself craving her every moment. The night they had stayed out on the ocean had been miraculous; he'd held her and kissed her until he thought he'd bruised her lips. But after that, he had been careful, he hadn't kissed her, nor done anything more than innocently touch her. Refraining from doing so was like withdrawing from a drug. His lips ached to feel hers, and well… He blushed and shook his head, trying to dismiss certain thoughts away as he sang the short lullaby again.

"That's lovely," Renata smiled and she sat up, crossing her legs and reaching for a cherry. "Come eat, before it's all gone."

He grinned and set the net aside, going down and sitting across from her. "Looks like I'm already too late," he teased, chuckling when she spit the cherry pit at him. "Such a lady…" He smiled and started eating some of the food they had brought.

"So does this count as a date?" Renata asked slowly, hesitating to look at him. She bit her lip when at last she did look and her heart skipped a beat when he laughed. "What? You don't remember?"

"Oh, no. I remember! Trust me, sweetheart," Finnick dazzled her with his usual charming grin. "This isn't a date at all."

She looked down at her lap in embarrassment, sorry that she had said anything.

He reached over and took hold of her hand, his eyes so tender as he looked into her blue ones. "You'll know when it's our date, I promise."

Rini swallowed and she was glad he couldn't tell that her cheeks were flushed.


"Hey there," Cecil said quietly, standing in Renata's open doorway. "What are you doing up? Did you have a nightmare?"

Renata looked away from the window and looked at him, nodding. Her journal was open in her lap and she closed it up, setting it on the table beside her bed. "Writing it down has helped a lot. You were right."

He smiled and walked into the room, holding Vic in his arms. "Of course I'm right," he chuckled softly, sitting on the end of the bed and cradling his youngest son close.

She smiled and rested her head against the wall, watching him for a quiet moment. Her eyes wandered to the small child, whose eyes were drooping. He would soon grow up and then his name would be put in the drawing. Her stomach felt sick as she thought about any of the children's names being picked. No, that couldn't happen…

"Did you want to have a lot of kids?" s he asked, breaking the silence.

Cecil smiled and he looked down at Vic, his cracked and calloused fingertips stroking his cheek. "I know I did. I had to convince Leona that it would be okay, and she eventually agreed with me."

Renata swallowed and watched his face, her heart hurting at how adoringly Cecil looked at his son. "You wanted lots, even with…even knowing that..."

"We knew it was a risk, that's why it took so long for Lee to come around, but…" He sighed quietly, looking up at Rini. "They can't keep us from everything, Rini. Do you understand that? They can't take away our ability to love, and to be happy. It may not be much, but I'm happy."

She swallowed and looked at him with wide eyes, his words echoing in her head. They couldn't keep a person from loving another? They could make enough threats to keep you afraid to act on those feelings, she knew that. She jumped slightly when she felt his hand on hers and she blinked, looking up into his eyes.

"Do you want to have a family, Rini?" he asked, smiling warmly.

The question stunned her for a few seconds and she pursed her lips. "I think I'd like to, sometime," she finally answered, nodding. "When I was growing up, I wanted to have more than one baby so they would always have someone to play with…so they wouldn't be lonely."

Cecil smiled and he stood up, leaning down to kiss Renata's forehead. "Hold onto that dream, love. Make sure they don't take it away."


"Renata?" A man's voice stopped her in her tracks.

She turned and swallowed, her eyes widening at the sight of Peacekeepers. Was she in trouble? "Yes?" she whispered, and then cleared her throat. "Yes, can I help you?"

"There is a train leaving the district, and we have orders to ensure that you are aboard it," one murmured.

"The Victory Tour isn't until-"

"We are aware of the schedule for the tour, miss. This won't be a public return by any means," the other man stared straight into her eyes and she shifted in discomfort. "It would be in everyone's best interest if you came with us right now."

Renata swallowed and glanced behind her. She couldn't just disappear; who would pick up the children? And if she wasn't home or with Finnick at sundown, what would they think? She remembered what Finnick had said about the actions taken when he had refused to go peacefully, and she swallowed again. "Okay," she said finally, her heart pounding in her chest as they led her towards the train station.

As soon as the doors closed behind her, the train lurched forward and she had to grab onto a chair to keep from toppling over. The train was quiet and practically abandoned as she moved from one car to the next. An Avox stood silently with their head bowed as she breezed past them, feeling like she was in a dream. Wasn't it all a dream? Surely the next car would Finnick inside, waiting to tell her that it was time to wake up…

Her heart dropped as she entered the next car and found it as equally abandoned as the previous cars. Her worst nightmare was coming true - she was going back to the Capitol.

Hello, hello all! Sorry this took a bit longer than usual to update! I hope you enjoy this shorter chapter! It's small snippets of things that Renata experiences at home, I do hope you like how things are happening! Thank you again to RemyThirteen for the lullaby, and thank you to everyone who is reading and leaving your reviews! I'll hopefully have chapter five up soon!

-Kelsey :3